"Hey!" You greeted Sabrina with a wave. You reached across the table between the two of you and gave her a huge hug.
She pulled away from it, smiling. "I don't think I deserve that warm of a welcome, but hi!" She looked up at your head. "And I see that you're still wearing the flower crown I gave you."
You nodded. "Of course I am. You don't even know who I am, but you were kind enough to give me it."
"Because I try to give more than I get." She said. "I want to make people smile. I saw the way you and Ethan looked at each other, and no one else did. I knew that you two were dating, and I wanted to give you something as a thanks for keeping Ethan happy."
"I heard my name over here." Ethan came up behind you, placing a hand on your shoulder. He looked at Sabrina and grinned. "Hey, Sabrina!"
Sabrina beamed at him. "You remembered my name!"
He nodded. "Of course I did. After you gave (Y/n) that flower crown, she would not stop smiling." He leaned against the table. "Thank you for that. I really appreciate it."
She blushed. "No problem. I just want her to have a smile on her face." Her smile slipped for a moment, and it didn't go unnoticed by you.
You gave her a sad look. "Hey, Ethan? Mind if I take a walk with her?"
He shook his head. "Go ahead. I'm not stopping you."
You slipped out of the booth and was at Sabrina's side in an instant. You wanted somewhere more private to talk, so you led her to the backstage area. The security guard stopped you two, but you told him that the two of you were waiting for Ethan to arrive for his panel (which wasn't actually a lie, he really had a panel) and you showed him your badge, and he let you through.
As soon as you were in solitude, you said something. "Are you okay?" You asked her.
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why are you asking?"
"Because you want to make people smile all the time. Because I saw your smile fall just a minute ago. Because I can see the pain and sadness in your eyes. Because I know that there's a difference between being 'fine' and being 'okay'."
Sabrina looked at you for a moment before bursting into tears. "You have no idea how much it helps to hear you say that."
You wrapped your arms around her, rocking her back and forth. "Sabrina, please don't cry. It's okay. It'll all be okay." You pulled away and held her at arm's length. "There's no reason to be sad. You can tell me anything. I'm going to be here for you from now on. Okay?"
She nodded, wiping her tears. "Okay." She gave you a broken smile. "Thank you." She sobbed.
"You're welcome."
She sniffed. "Can I... can I come visit you in LA? I mean, I live in LA, too, so it really won't be a problem, but I wanted to ask so-"
You giggled. "Sure, Sabrina. You can come visit me anytime. Well, except for when I'm at work. My boss will be mad at me, and I might get fired."
She giggled, too- it was weak, but it was still a laugh. "I think that's a lie, but okay."
You gave her another hug. "Do me a favor, okay?"
She nodded against your shoulder. "Anything."
"Come to me whenever you need help with something. Whether it's emotional or family issues, or even just homework help. Just come to me. Okay?"
"Okay. I promise."
You smiled. "I think this was just the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
